Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the primary cause of senile dementia worldwide. It is a neurodegenerative disorder defined by the loss of memory and language skill, collapse of the cognitive function, and distortion of social behavior. As of today, the onset mechanisms of Alzheimer' s disease and cure are unknown. However, three hallmarks are commonly encountered: extra and intracellular accumulation of amyloid beta peptide plaques, formation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, and inevitable neuronal death. This research is focused on using cactus mucilage to induce the dispersion of Amyloid Beta (Aβ) peptide fibers in order to interrupt the kinetic formation mechanisms of Aβ plaques.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic dementia characterized by the presence of dense bundles of unusual fibrils within the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, termed senile or amyloid plaques. From a structural standpoint, amyloid plaques consist of large numbers of fibrils that are made up primarily of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides assembled in parallel-pleated sheet configurations. These hierarchic structures are one of the hallmarks of AD.
The ability of a natural material containing high amounts of glyconutrients to disrupt Aβ fibril formation was investigated. The extracts of the Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI, also known as prickly pear or nopal cactus) are a combination of polysaccharides (i.e., glycans or sugars) such as n-acetylneuraminic acid, fucose, arabinose, mannose, galactose, rhamnose, xylose, and glucose, to name a few.1 These compounds have been known to present anti-inflammatory properties, enhance tissue regeneration, disperse high molecular weight compounds, and participate in brain development and learning (as some of these sugars also are found in whey protein and breast milk).2-5 
The effectiveness of cactus mucilage extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica in disturbing the aggregation pathway of Amyloid β-Protein (Aβ) fibrils was analyzed. Mucilage is a pectin polysaccharide with a backbone of α-D-galacturonic acid and β-L-rhamnose and a branch of arabinose or xylose. Two different fractions of mucilage can be extracted: pectin gelling extract which forms gels in the presence of Ca2+ ions (GE) and non-gelling extract (NE). The effectiveness of mucilage in disturbing the formation of Aβ fibrils was evaluated. Aβ monomeric species have been incubated along with different concentration of the mucilage extract in vitro. The aggregation kinetics of the Aβ proteins were monitored by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to monitor the aggregation process and fibril morphology. Our results indicate that introducing mucilage induces changes in the secondary structures of the Aβ peptides and results in amyloid detribalized structures. Our experimental results support the effectiveness of cactus mucilage in interfering with protein accumulation pathway and targeting the Aβ plaques.
The mucilage is optionally administered into the CNS. Useful methods of administration include pumps designed to infuse materials into the ventricles. These pumps are implanted subcutaneously and can be refilled with a syringe. Power to the pumps is provided by batteries, which are replaced occasionally.